Estrella Roja
History Estrella Roja (Translation: Red Star) was founded in the immediate post-Independence period as ‘Polideportivo Rio Negro’ from the town of Masca in Coron Sur Province (Central Cataduanes). For a number of decades Rio Negro achieved very little inhabiting the lower leagues in the Cataduanes domestic competition. However 11 years ago the town of Masca’s biggest financial concern, Estrella Roja Brewery (which is the biggest producer of alcoholic beverages in the Cataduanes Freestate) purchased the club. The brewery invested huge amounts of money purchasing and developing the club which was re-christened ‘Estrella Roja’ and on the back of bigger investment, large transfer funds and enthusiastic local support the club stormed up the league in successive seasons and became national champions ousting the dominance of the traditional big sides form the capital city; Oltaloro. With its paramount domestic position the club was sent to represent the Cataduanes Freestate in Liga Mundo. In its first season (Liga Mundo Season 2) Estrella Roja took Serie Segunda by storm winning the division with 13 wins, no draws and 1 loss. The semi-legendary Roja forward Fernando Estrada also secured the golden boot for Serie Segunda with 14 goals to his name, also of note was Eduardo Begona whose solid performances in the Roja Backline saw him secure the New-Comer of the Year title. Season 3 saw the Roja’s make their debut in the Primera, with the squad finishing 4th, which would remain the Roja’s highest placing in the league to date. However the successive seasons would see Roja’s final placing get steadily worse culminating with relegation in Season 6. Season 7 in Segunda Liga (once known as Serie Segunda) saw Estrella Roja continue to struggle, they only avoided relegation by an slight improvement in form late in the season finishing 5 points clear of the relegation zone to the Tercera Liga. Club Colors Estrella Roja sport red shirts and Blue Shorts. Stadium Estadio de Sierra Curon is the home of Estrella Roja. It is located in the twon of Masca in the central province of Cataduanes. Built in the late 1940’s It is also renowned for its steep terracing and being one of the most intimidating atmospheres in all of the Cataduanes Freestate in which to play. It has a capacity of 49,000.4 Club Culture The club has traditionally drawn its support from the urban workers in the industrial town of Masca. Many of the fans are organized into various groupings known as Ultra’s, the largest such grouping is the ‘Cuerpo Rojo’ (Red Corp) is renowned for its clearly Left wing sympathies and are known for displaying flags with red stars, hammer and sickles, the anarchy symbol, images of Left Wing personalities (Che, Marx, etc, etc) or various anti-fascist iconography. The Cuerpo Rojo are generally concentrated in the North Stand of the Estadio de Sierra Curon and are recognizable in winter by the military green coats they uniformly wear during the winter months. Both the club and the fans have a long-running friendship with the Transvaal Springboks and Spartak MK, while at times there has existed a history of on the field conflict with Atlético Luz Del Mar. While domestically it has a tradition of local rivalry with San Fermin, San Vicente and Atletico Coron Norte, while recently rivalries have developed with the traditional big clubs form the capital; Club Union, Haro, Sakhayos and Nacional. Current Coach Sancho Fortunato made his name with domestic sides in the capital city Oltaloro before being hired by Estrella Roja, he replaced his predecessor at the end of season 7. Nicknamed 'El Chino' due to his mixed Spanish & Chinese heritage controversially reshuffled the squad offloading veterans like Christopher Fewou and Hector Chema to make way for fresh blood and has overseen a comprehensive series of friendlies against Primera liga sides. It remains to be seen whether he will lead the side to a more respectable finish after the grim lows suffered over the last two seasons. Former Coaches Season 2 to Season 6 - Francisco Balambaga Balambaga is a club legend, the old man from the eastern city of Samal oversaw Estrella Roja's domestic rise and led them upon the clubs entry into Liga Mundo. His most notable achievment was mastermidning the clubs sensational debut season as Roja triumphed in the Segunda Liga in some style gaining promotion to the Primera Liga. Subsequently however the clubs fortunes waned as the seasons progressed and the old man eventually made way in season 6 as Roja got sucked into a relegation battle (The club was indeed subsequently relegated). Season 6 to Season 7 - Antonio Lizariaga Balambaga's replacement took over toward the end of Season 6, he was at the time unable to stem the tide as the club slumped into relegation. Season 7 saw the clubs fortune drops even further as Rojas struggled and only narrowly missed the relegation zone. He was seen as ineffectual which led to the club sacking him at the conclusion of Seson 7. League Honors Segunda Liga Champions – Season 2 Cup Records Roja have never made it to the final of the cup. The highest placed finishes were quarter final appearances in Season 3 (El Legado Cup), Season 5 (Gloria del Verano Cup) and Season 6 (Copa Del Mar). Notable Players Fernando Estrada The veteran Striker was instrumental in season 2 whose goals helped Estrella Roja in its promotion to the Primera, he finished as top scorer for Segunda for that season. He was released by the club following season 3 and eventually retired, He is now currently working as a well known football pundit in the Cataduanes Freestate. Oliverio Cubino The long serving Goalkeeper was a regular between the sticks for the Roja’s for many seasons. He opted to retire at the conclusion of Season 6 and is now running a chain of Steak Houses in the Cataduanes Freestate. Hector Chema The tough tackling midfielder made his name as the resident tough guy, he was notorious for consistent violent conduct and retains the club record as the most booked player in Estrella Roja's history. He was released by the club at the end of Season 7 and has returned home to play for his hometown team in the lower leagues (of the Cataduanes domestic championship), Atletico Coron Norte. Christopher Fewou An early transfer by the illustrious coach Francisco Balambaga, the Midfielder was a regular at the heart of the Roja midfield and still holds the record for most overall assists. His time at Roja ended with his transfer at the end of Season 7 as new coach Sancho Fortunato saw him surplus to requirements. All Time Records Most Appearances: Bittor Garro - 85 Appearances Basilio Tito - 83 Appearances Eduardo Begoña - 73 Appearances Adan Orozco - 73 Appearances Christopher Fewou - 71 Appearances Most Goals: Agustin Romero - 21 Goals Basilio Tito - 15 Goals Fernando Estrada (ret.) - 14 Goals Rafael Nagore (ret.) - 13 Goals Juan-Maria Motta - 12 Most Assists: Christopher Fewou - 22 Assists Basilio Tito - 16 Assists Bittor Garo - 14 Assists Unax Sena - 9 Assists Suca Garoafã - 8 Assists Most Yellow Cards: Hector Chema (ret.) - 18 Adan Orozco - 10 Agustin Romero 9 Eduardo Begoña 8 Juan-Maria Motta 7 Most Red Cards: Hector Chema (ret.) - 3 Suca Garoafã - 1 Cristian Aberlardo (ret.) Category:Cataduanes Category:Liga Mundo Category:Soccer